Arthur Andersen Consulting Partners

The collective group of over 47,000 partners and employees of the Andersen Consulting division who orchestrated the dramatic split from the Arthur Andersen accounting firm in 2000, executing a $1.2 billion buyout to secure their independence and form the foundation of the modern Accenture PLC.

The true founders of the independent Accenture PLC were the collective partnership of the Andersen Consulting division. For decades, they had built a massive, highly profitable technology implementation and consulting practice within the Arthur Andersen accounting empire. As the consulting arm grew to dwarf the traditional audit practice, cultural and economic tensions reached a boiling point. Led by George Shaheen, the partnership engaged in a bitter, multi-year legal battle with the audit partners, culminating in a landmark 2000 arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce. The partners executed a staggering $1.2 billion buyout of their brand rights and operational ties, effectively purchasing their own independence. This collective action forged a new, independent multinational corporation that was free from the conservative constraints of the audit partnership and positioned to dominate the global IT services market.